The present invention relates to a gas operated semi-automatic rifle having a forwardly moving gas piston which allows a breechblock of the rifle to not pass totally beyond a cartridge magazine to load a new cartridge.
Currently most semi-automatic rifles are gas operated, with expanding gases in the rifle barrel developed by the firing of a cartridge causing a gas piston/piston rod combination to move rearward. The piston rod moves rearward and is connected to a bolt assembly for extraction of a cartridge, and the loading of another cartridge from the rifle's magazine. The bolt assembly must clear the magazine entirely before a new cartridge is placed in the chamber for firing.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,123,329 discloses a trigger mechanism that when activated causes an inner movable barrel to move towards the breech block. A piston attached to the muzzle provides momentum to forwardly move the barrel past the cartridge feeding mechanism. When moving backwardly the inner barrel picks up a new cartridge to force against the firing pin of the breech block. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,351,598 and 5,520,019 reveal the M16 gas piston assemblies variation wherein the piston moves rearward in relation to the bolt assembly. These semi-automatic rifles are based upon the piston moving rearward and activating the breechblock with a turning locking head.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a gas operated semi-automatic rifle having a gas piston under the discharge end of the barrel which ultimately moves the breechblock. Such a design allows the gas piston to be connected to a locking mechanism which in turn provides the rearward impetus for the breechblock in reloading a cartridge from the rifle magazine.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a breechblock which moves fore and aft, without a turning head, to load a new cartridge after discharge.
It is a feature of the invention that the gas piston, locking mechanism and breechblock combination move in synchrony using fewer moving parts and providing greater stability in operation of the rifle.
It is an advantage of the present invention that a gas operated semi-automatic rifle is provided which is lightweight and shorter in length, thus leading to ease of use and greater accuracy.